I'm a bit more inclined to think that it is due to the need to carry more fuel on the westbound trip (about 15% more) due to prevailing winds blowing from the west. This reduces the weight capacity for cargo.
For a typical flight from, for example, Toronto to Zurich, the westbound flight is about 1 hour longer on average.
There's also the shift in aircraft types from 767s to 787s. The 787's weigh a lot less, and this means that adding payload weight (freight) has a more pronounced effect on fuel consumption / range than on the 767.
But, I do agree that you may have a point about more freight being shipped Europe to Canada than the other way around.
Michael
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